Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-02-03
Old Times


home of one of nay old hunting companions
feuna him In u real good hunor. and read
/ To talk: 80, seating ourselves before one {
! those great fires, built Of logs and pine Knot.
] he eofnmeDcea-or we. for do not ike /
be left ont. when il GENES to telling hangin1
stories. Like cid Saziors. we old hunter
neTer tire eoiHg over cur huntins exploits
aud. after ali. do not know ef anything afa
j. more exciting than 10 sif before one O
those great fires and listen 10 a good stor7
welt told And some Of those old hunter
UiII fairly make sou see and feel a. be doe.
and some of sheir stories are full uf excite
taent ahd Interest.
How / USED 10 enjoy sitting before GOO
! camp fire. Way back IN early times and list
ell /" >orne OF those hairbreadth escapes.
would Iii and listen with mouth wide upen
9u>t like any other green boy, and fairf'
/ drink in all they said. An old hunter wi
tell ali the LITTLE incidents connected with III
hunts how and where he went: how ans
where he found his game. ana how ana
W hat be did. and those old stories. though
Oft repeated. lost none Of their charms To-
me.
And after spinning them far long time
some one SAYS. Dinner il ready" Well.
had forgotten that dinner wa> part Of III,
business # the aaF- 50 after being seafet
nj the table. and blessing being asked, yor
are invited TO -sjust help yourself. just max.
yourself III home We hain't got much Il
SO We are not very slow to comply with ths
i Il
high mountains, with The cold, pure air
laden with the scent Of the pine and cedar
gives one very keen appetite: and when
We look over the table and see the great
platters loaded with fresh pork joints, ven
| ison, saalsases. potatoes, cabbage. kraut. boz
| biscuit, d niee loaf Of corn bread, with but
ter, honey. cofee. milk, e1c., we think we
can possibly make out dinner. and when
the dish of honey Is passed again and again
do try 10 make out diuner's-we ask.
is this honey from The woods, or is it OF
year own raislngt'' NO, il il tame honey
there are few or no wild bees any more.
Tbes are ali gone OF nearly So"
Why, We used 10 get all the honey we
wanted ont of The woods Way back fifty
but now We have 10 raise all of our honey I
c4n remember shen it was no great feat for
good bee hunfer to go into the woods and
find two or three laee trees IN fIay | beard
of one man in BeIleylew who found six bee
trees in one day, land was not Il good day
for bees ether. And What Jolly times we
young folk had IpiDg 10 those bee cuttings
well remember my first experience in them.
There WAS family Of Young men who lived
over back o1 shepherd Mountain. They
were all f hem good bee hunters. They
had found some half dozen bee trees. 20
they invited al the young folks. BOYS aad
girls, to come mp To the bee cuttlng. On the
day appointed quite q company gathered at
tbs house. and. after Il good dinner, We al
started leg the woods, armed with axes. and
with buckets 10 hold the honey. as some oz
the trees were nIle or two from the house.
Ne had good time, helping the girls over
The logs and bitches and up and down the
mountains After reaching the tree. the
best axemen were elureG 10 cut the tree
down. New there il quite All art iii cutting
tree down SO u not 10 break tree all 10
pieces, fer every bee tree il supposed TO be
very hollow and full Of honey, In order 10
get II down easy a. possible, we cut il SO
il viii fall oH another tree.or on Young trees,
which breaks the force q the fall. Some
times he tree will break all 10 pieces and
ftros tie honey all around. and great deal
Of il viii be lost II the tree Is badly brok-
Ell, the bees nearly always give up at once,
and act g. though it was OF no Use 10 fight :
= II
without breaking, then look OUT The bees
will fight for their homes and honey is long
~ there IL hope. Now for Rn axemaT to
walk in among those angry bees il not very
safe business. alld 10 cut hole in the tree
with thousands Of bees all over oneself is no
chlIa's play. Just take an axe snd ga to q
pee-gum aud strike il once Or twice, and Fos,
will find ont something about eating bee
trees. / shall never forget & tree we cut thai
day ] Was one Of the axemen. Two Of us
walked along OF the tree and began to cut
away the side of fhe tree that covered the
honey As soon as We Jet day light in on the
honey. the whole colony came pouring out,
and such running and screaming, with sne
bees after The boys and girls. ] tell you |
meyer saw better time made than some Of
these girls made thai day; dry goods were
Of no account. never saw store goods 70
er so fast in my life Bees, like human be-
ings, viii fight for their property just a. long
as the honey is not broken. but a. SOAR a.
they see the honey broken they give up and
will fight DO man. / have Sei1 kind of sym-
pgfhy for The 5ees. Imagine yourself with
good nome with all the comforts Of life
everything to make life enjoyable; then let
some aespoiler come and break into your
bouse and take away al the @onforts, and
see how you would feel. Take case CT
those terrible cyclones. We who i've among
these mountains little realize what some OF
our neigbbors On be vast prairies have en-
dured- But 10 return to the bee-free: /
very well remember I paid very dearly for
the sweets got; The bees luSt lit all over
ny head / wiped them CT NV face by the
handsfal. They sEung me all over my head,
faeb and neck. until was spotted a. ope
with the measles. / thought they would
sting me 10 death. All, didn't i suffer- And
had expected il would We always h4se a
remedy al hand for all &sIngs. If we only
think To Use sf--oar Of natures own After
building Il fire of leaves. We smoked those
bees and finally got theIr honey. for the tree
WAS xery rich.
And new Iet me tell The boys and girls T1
first experience In raising bees As / A&a
inherited j very sweet tooth. go rss ~lfhal
very fond e1 homer. ssaaaazhi | would try